told A. tonight.
her face.
worth every dollar.
the setup #
been planning this for two months.
7-night southern caribbean cruise.
virgin voyages - scarlet lady.
the adults-only line. no kids anywhere on the ship.
leaving miami saturday morning.
the reveal #
made dinner tonight. badly. she laughed.
“okay what’s going on. you never cook.”
handed her an envelope.
boarding passes. cruise itinerary. suite confirmation.
her eyes went wide.
“we leave in two days?”
yes.
“for a week?”
yes.
“on a cruise ship?”
not just any cruise ship. one of the newest. adults only. we have a suite with a balcony.
she tackled me onto the couch.
what I booked #
virgin voyages - scarlet lady
- launched 2021, one of their newest ships
- adults only (18+, no exceptions)
- suite with balcony (seriously splurged)
- all the fancy restaurants included
- spa package with multiple massages
itinerary:
- day 1: miami departure
- day 2: at sea
- day 3: puerto plata, dominican republic
- day 4: at sea
- day 5: st. croix, us virgin islands
- day 6: at sea
- day 7: bimini beach club, bahamas
- day 8: miami return
why this matters #
first real vacation:
since parents died, I haven’t stopped.
traded through grief. coded through loneliness.
never took a real break.
total disconnect:
didn’t buy the wifi package.
no internet. no charts. no positions.
can’t check anything even if I wanted to.
8 days completely unplugged.
for us:
we’ve never traveled together.
never been on a plane together. never left california together.
this is huge for us.
her reaction (continued) #
after the initial tackle.
“you planned this without telling me anything?”
cleared your work calendar. told your boss you’re taking PTO.
“you talked to my BOSS?”
had to. couldn’t surprise you if you had meetings scheduled.
she was half-annoyed, half-impressed.
“I have nothing to wear for a cruise.”
we’re going shopping tomorrow. pack friday. fly to miami friday night.
she started listing things she needed. then stopped.
looked at me.
“thank you. for thinking of this. for planning it.”
you deserve it. we both do.
tonight #
packing lists. shopping plans. she’s vibrating with excitement.
haven’t seen her this happy since the wedding.
this is what the money is for. not sitting in accounts. moments like this.
positions status #
closed everything today.
took small profits on remaining positions.
account completely flat.
no open trades. no exposure.
won’t look at a chart for 8 days.
last post for a while #
this is it until august 17th.
no wifi on the ship. intentionally.
see you on the other side.
11:48pm thursday. told A. about the cruise. 7 nights southern caribbean on virgin voyages scarlet lady. suite with balcony. adults only. no wifi package - total disconnect. she tackled me. we’re packing tomorrow. this is what the money is for.
-AK